Ultrasound duplex scanning in the assessment of the effectiveness of gravitation therapy and conservative treatment of patients with atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities

• Published in: Angiologii͡a︡ i sosudistai͡a︡ khirurgii͡a Vol. 10; no. 3; p. 47
• Main Authors: Galkin, R A, Makarov, I V, Preobrazhenskaia, N M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Russia (Federation) 2004
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Arteriosclerosis - diagnostic imaging; Arteriosclerosis - physiopathology; Arteriosclerosis - therapy; Blood Flow Velocity - physiology; Diastole - physiology; Female; Gravitation; Hemodynamics - physiology; Humans; Lower Extremity - blood supply; Lower Extremity - diagnostic imaging; Lower Extremity - physiopathology; Male; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index; Systole - physiology; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex
• ISSN: 1027-6661

Ultrasound duplex scanning was used to compare the results of the treatment of 162 patients suffering from atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities. It is to be noted that 50 patients were administered only gravitation therapy, 72 patients underwent a complex of treatment measures including, in addition to gravitation therapy, physiotherapy and drug treatment, and 40 patients received conservative treatment alone. The assessment criteria were the maximal systolic velocity of blood flow (V(max)), end diastolic mean, velocity (V(min)), mean maximal velocity (V(mean)), volume velocity of blood flow (V(vol)), ankle/brachial index (ABI), and index of regional perfusion (IRP), proposed by us and representing the percent ratio of the volume velocity of blood flow to the minute heart volume (MHV). It has been revealed in the course of the treatment that the best clinical outcome was recorded in patients who received a complex of treatment measures. The use of gravitation therapy alone provided better treatment results as compared to those obtained in patients administered standard conservative therapy. Of all the indicators used, only V(mean), V(vol), ABI and IRP are of the clinical significance. However, the most significant information on the segmental blood flow was obtained on the assessment of the IRP whose values did not depend on the changes in central hemodynamics. In contrast to the ABI, the advantage of the IRP lies in the possibility of blood flow assessment in different segments and arteries of the extremities. So, the use of the quantitative indicators of ultrasound duplex scanning and, first of all, of the IRP, allows an objective evaluation of the segmental blood flow and may serve one of the significant criteria of the treatment effectiveness.